JAPAN – CANADA | Thursday 2:40 pm
Japan and Canada have a dress rehearsal in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Geographically not too far from Qatar, the host country of the upcoming World Championships, which will officially start on Sunday 20 November. It goes without saying that the goal for both is to at least make a decent impression, although the chances of qualifying for the knockout phase are slim overall. For the Nipponese, led by Hajime Moriyasu, the round of 16 will most probably remain a mirage: yes, because the draw – anything but benevolent – wanted them to end up in the group of the two battleships Germany and Spain. Barring improbable surprises – in Russia, four years ago, they did quite well – Japan will play for third place with Costa Rica. The preparation campaign, however, is proceeding in the best possible way: after the ugly defeat against Tunisia (0-3) last June, Kamada and his teammates have remained undefeated in the last five matches, achieving brilliant successes over the USA and South Korea.
The excitement is sky-high for Canada’s debut, a national team that has been missing from the World Cup finals for 36 years. Coached by England’s John Herdman, they can count on several players who have made their mark in the major European football leagues in recent years. We are talking about David of Lille, Eustaquio of Porto and Davies of Bayern Munich. It will also be difficult for the North Americans to advance to the round of 16 due to the presence in their group of more experienced selections such as Belgium and Croatia.
Alphonso Davies
The Prediction
Japan have something more than the Canadians and should be able to avoid defeat in a match of less than three goals overall.
Japan-Canada line-up probables
- JAPAN (4-2-3-1): Gonda; Sakai, Yoshida, Tomiyasu, H. Ito; W. Endo, Morita; J. Ito, Minamino, Kubo; Asano.
- CANADA (4-4-2): Borjan; Miller, Vitoria, Johnston, Hutchinson; Laryea, Eustaquio, Kaye, Osorio; David, Larin.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-0
